§ 115C-158.10. (Effective beginning with the 2024-2025 school year) Career development plans.
(a) All middle and high school students enrolled in a local school administrative unit shall complete a career development plan that meets the requirements of this section. Any high school student who does not already have a career development plan shall complete the plan within 90 days of enrollment in school. The local board of education shall ensure that students are provided assistance in completion of the plan as well as instruction on how to access that plan throughout the student's enrollment. A student shall not be promoted from eighth grade until a career development plan is created and shall not be promoted from tenth grade until the career development plan is revised. Local boards of education are encouraged to require more frequent revisions as appropriate. Charter schools are encouraged to require participation in career development plans for students in accordance with this section.
(b) Local boards of education shall ensure that career development plans are easily accessible to students and parents and shall provide parents written notice of the initial creation of a career development plan and information on how to access the plan.
(c) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules establishing minimum requirements for career development plans and shall require local boards of education to provide access to all career development plans through a designated electronic application. Career development plans shall include at least the following:
(1) Self-assessment of the student's aptitudes, skills, values, personality, and career interests.
(2) Exploration and identification of pathways for careers aligned with the student's self-assessment that include the following for each career:
a. Identification of needed education, training, and certifications.
b. Information on the most cost-efficient path to entry.
c. Opportunities within the school setting to explore and prepare for the career.
(3) Alignment of academic courses and extracurricular activities with the student's identified career interests, including the following:
a. Inventory of aligned courses in middle and high school in grades six through 10, and development of best strategies for course selection in grades 11 and 12 to achieve identified career interests, including courses that may lead to college credit.
b. Available record of the following:
1. Completed Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), and dual-enrollment courses that may lead to college credit in high school.
2. Extracurricular activities.
3. Awards and recognitions.
(4) Creation of a career portfolio, which may include items such as the following:
a. Documentation of postsecondary plans.
b. Completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid with parental consent.
c. Résumé.
d. Occupational outlook for identified career interests. (2023-134, s. 7.13(b); 2024-1, s. 2.8C(a).)